Breaking Dawn
by arianem
Summary: The last book in my rewrite project. Again, the main changes are in writing style but there are some important changes in plot as well. Please review but also remember that this is a work in progress
1. Preface

The blonde woman sat still as stone, save for her right hand which stroke the chocolate brown hair of the boy in her lap. He was also still, his too symmetrical features smoothed into a calm, content mask. Unlike the woman, his mother in more ways than one, he did not understand the significance of the gray figures before them. Unlike her, he did not realize the danger.

A woman's voice behind her made her turn her head.

"What is this? Sonia, who are these people?"

In front of small wooden house, three woman were being pulled out into the open air by six, black clad figures. The woman were all tall and pale, their hair as fair as that of the woman before them. They were all in their mid-twenties, at their peak, and they were all only a few years old.

"Tatiana, do as they say," the woman commanded. There was no denying her, though her voice was not harsh.

The woman, Sonia, turned her attention to the people before her once more as one man stepped forward. His hair was black, his skin, pale, and his eyes, a deep, burning, crimson. Two others stepped up beside him, though they stayed back of him.

"Sonia, my very old friend," said the man at the front.

"Friend?" said Sonia, her voice soft, "Friends do not attack each other. Wouldn't you agree, Arrigo?"

The man shook his head, a sad smile upon his features. "I do not enjoy carrying out this sad duty but someone must. We have no choice."

"There's always a choice," the woman said, a Russian accent beginning to taint her otherwise perfect English.

"Not now," the man said, his voice and face hardening. "You know the law. You had a choice and you made it."

Again Tatiana's voice rang out. "Sonia, what is going on?"

"You pretend you don't know?" Arrigo's voice was quiet but cold and hard as ice.

"They do not pretend, Arrigo, let them be. They know nothing. You can see for yourself, I'm sure." Sonia's voice was tired but the bitter edge had not faded.

"I believe I shall. Call them."

"They are not dogs."

Arrigo glared and Sonia relented with a sigh.

"Tatiana, Katerina, Irina, please come here. This... gentleman would like to speak with you." the pause it her sentence made it clear that she had changed her word choice once or twice.

Slowly, the three women behind her moved forward until they stood beside Sonia. Only then did they see what she held in her arms.

"Sonia! How could you?" That was Irina, the youngest of the three.

Sonia didn't reply. She simply continued to stroke the child in her lap who had been growing agitated as the arguments rose around him.

With a gesture of his hand, Arrigo summoned forth the darker of his two companions. He wrapped his long, white fingers around his companion's wrist and placed his other hand on Tatiana's forehead. At first the blonde woman flinched away from his touch but after a moment she relaxed and closed her eyes. Arrigo's own eyes widened slightly as she did so.

"Truth," he said, seeming surprised. "She knew nothing."

Tatiana pulled away as soon as he had finished speaking. He glanced at her quickly, indifferently, but other than that, ignored her reaction.

"The same is true of the others," Sonia said, "so let them be."

"Sonia, I must. Surely you understand."

She did not reply and Arrigo turned his back on her and turned to the woman on Tatiana's right. He repeated the process with her and the last both, declaring them as innocent as Tatiana.

"I told you they were innocent," said Sonia, clearly unimpressed.

"The same is not true of you, however." Arrigo's voice sounded almost genuinely sorrowful, but beneath it, there was a sharp, malicious edge that might have stopped Sonia's heart if it had been beating. "Stand and face the consequences."

Sonia nodded silently and stood, taking care not to jostle the boy in her arms. Arrigo gestured again and four of his guard came forward. One by one they came and surrounded her, but it wasn't necessary. She wouldn't try to escape; to do so would endanger the three women whom she loved.

"Sonia," Arrigo said, his voice loud and clear, "do you deny that you were the unlawful creator of the creature in your arms?"

"No," Sonia replied, her voice every bit as strong as his.

"And do you accept that the penalty for this crime is death?"

"Yes." Still her voice was strong though she clutched the boy more tightly to her.

He shook his head. "I didn't want this to happen, Sonia, but I will do what I must. Goodbye." at a tiny motion of his hand, there was a blur of movement and a flash of light and then the three young vampires screamed in unison as their mother went up in flames.


	2. Engagements

Engagements

I stood, my hands in my pockets, huddled against the west coast Washington rain. I was staring at a rain-faded flier stapled to a dark telephone pole. Black eyes stared back at me.

The face on the Missing Person posters was smiling with the wide set dark features that were common to the Quileutes in the area. Anyone could see that.

What very few people knew was that he was also a werewolf, and my best friend – at least, he was. I had the feeling he didn't like me much any more. After all, it was my fault he ran away. I had the feeling it would have been better if I'd seen him in person, or not left him alone for so long – anything instead of that disastrous letter – but there was nothing I could do about it now. Nothing but hope.

Jacob had been gone for over a month. Somehow, I got the feeling he wasn't coming back. None the less, I had to check. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed up a familiar number.

Seth was still too new when Victoria attacked to help in the fight but he'd often come to the practices and sat with me while the vampires and wolves practiced fighting each other. He answered after just two rings. "Hello? Seth here?"

"Hey, Seth. This is Bella."

"Hiya Bell. How're you holding up."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes. "Alice has no restraint when it comes to parties. I mean, I'm glad not to have to arrange everything myself, but I have the feeling I'm way in over my head."

"You're probably right. I've met her, remember?"

"Yeah." Then my tone sobered. "Any change?"

"With Jake? No. He's still pretty torn up and he won't talk to any of us."

"Will you tell him I called."

"He knows you've been calling. He's been acting like he wants you to stop but really I think it's the only reason we haven't lost him completely."

"Seth?" I asked after a moment. "Why aren't you angry with me for driving Jacob away?"

"Are you kidding? Jake made his own choices and I don't think it's your fault – not entirely at least. Not every one in the pack feels that way, though."

I knew that. Seth's sister Leah had picked up the phone a few days ago and given me the reaming out of my life. Knowing her experiences, I couldn't blame her entirely but it had been enough to let me know that I was definitely no longer welcome with the pack.

"I think he should come back for your wedding, at least," Seth muttered.

"No he shouldn't," I whispered back, wiping water from my eyes. "I should never have asked him to do that."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Bella."

I sighed. "Sure, Seth. Take care – and you'll tell me if anything changes, right?"

"Sure. I'll see you later."

I hung up. No sooner had I closed the phone than it rung. I jumped, almost dropping it and then answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Bella," Edward said. "Are you home yet?"

"No," I said, finally turning away from Jacob's picture.

"Do you need me to come pick you up?" My faithful red truck had died a few weeks after Jacob left. It was almost ironic. Of course, that didn't change the fact that I had no car and I'd been walking almost everywhere.

"No, I'm almost there."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"We don't have to do this today, you know."

"No, I can do this. We should get it over with."

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

I hung up after a quick good bye and then started walking towards my house. I was only a few blocks away, but in the cold and wet, it always seemed like longer. It also didn't help that I wasn't exactly looking forward to talking with Charlie today.

Eventually though, I did arrive at the house. Edward was waiting in front for me, not caring about the rain.

Barely noticing my father's black and white police cruiser as I passed it, I hurried over to Edward and planted a quick kiss on his ice cold lips.

"Are you ready?" he asked, putting an arm around my waist.

"No." I sighed. "I'll never be ready. But let's do it anyway." I opened the door and led the way inside.

"Dad?" I called.

"Hey, Bells," he called back from the living room couch. He turned to look and stiffened as he saw Edward.

Charlie's relations with the Cullens had gone very much down hill since Edward left in September and then stole me away to Italy six months later. Even Carlisle, a mild tempered doctor, had gotten fairly cold treatment from my father since the incident. In fact, the only person my father wasn't annoyed with was Alice. As hyperactive and unpredictable as she was, no one could ever be angry at Alice, at least not for long.

"Mr. Swan," Edward said politely. "Bella and I would like to speak to you about something very important."

Charlie stood quickly and glared at Edward intimidatingly for a moment, then sat in one of the large wooden chairs surrounding the kitchen table. He motion Edward and I to take the remaining two.

"Well?" Charlie asked impatiently.

Edward nudged me. Darn, I'd hoped he would do all the talking. Really I wasn't sure what to say. Neither of my parents really approved of early marriage and given my father's feelings about Edward, I knew this wouldn't be easy.

"Are you pregnant?" Charlie asked gruffly, a hint of panic showing in his voice.

I was taken aback by the unexpected question. "No! Of course not!" Turning to Edward I asked, "Do I look pregnant?"

"No," Edward assured me. "And no, she isn't pregnant."

Charlie let out a relieved breath of air. "Okay. Then will some please tell me just what the hell is going on?"

I sent a pleading look at Edward but he shook his head. "This is all yours," he muttered.

I sighed. "Dad, Edward and I are getting married."

"What?" he burst out.

"Edward and are are getting married in a little under a month,"

"A month? To him?" Charlie sounded entirely disbelieving. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't final until mid-June. Besides, we didn't want to stress you out."

"You didn't want to stress me out?" Charlie's voice was beginning to rise. He shut his mouth with a snap and didn't say anything for a long time. His face turned red, then purple. The vein in his temple was pulsing visibly when he finally let out is breath. "And you," he said, pointing a finger at Edward. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'll do my best to make her happy," Edward said softly, meekly.

Charlie sighed, rubbing his temple with one wide hand. "You want my blessing, I suppose?"

I glanced at Edward and we nodded. "Dad, will you come?"

He gave a wry smile. "Kid, I'm your father! Of course I'll go. And, you have my blessing, too, but you have to tell your mother – in person if you can manage it. That's your responsibility – not mine or any body else's."

"I know," I said. "Thank you so much!" I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him. And my father, who had never been one for big displays of emotion, kissed me on the cheek and hugged me back.

"You know," said Edward later as I lay in bed with him sitting beside me. "We still haven't used those plane tickets my parents gave you, and I've only met your mother once. Maybe it's time we went for a visit."

So, about a week later, Edward and I boarded a plane and headed down to Jacksonville, Florida, where my mother lived with her new husband, Phil. We only spent a few days down there and I waited until the last night to tell her about our wedding plans because I was afraid of how she would react.

She had never approved of early marriage, and given what had happened with her, I could see why. I hoped that after getting to know Edward a little bit, it would be easier for her to accept but I still had no idea what to expect when I finally broke the news to her as we walked along the beach by her house.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I didn't think I raised a daughter who would do something like this. After eighteen years of dealing with this don't you think you should have waited a little longer?"

She definitely wasn't as upset as I'd thought she was going to be but having her disappointed in me wasn't much better. "Mom," I said, a little nervously, "I've thought about it for a long time. This is what I want."

"How long is a 'long time'?" she asked skeptically.

I looked down. "About five months."

"Well, it's not too bad. I'd still rather you waited a few more years, though, honey. I don't want you to get hurt."

"He won't hurt me, Mom. And I don't want to wait."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what your problem is, Bells?"

"What?"

"You're too much like me. All heart, no head. No, actually that's not quite true. You're about half and half." She sighed. "Is he going to make you happy?"

"Yes," I replied without hesitation.

"No doubts? No concerns?"

"No." Not anymore. Not since he'd comeback. "Mom, you know how you always used to say 'don't look for a guy, just keep your eyes open and one day you'll find each other'? Edward's it. I was just lucky enough to find him early."

She laughed. "Well," she said finally. "I trust you judgment, I guess. I just want to make sure that you're not being rushed into this. It's your choice."

"I know," I told her, smiling. "And I chose him, now."

She nodded with an odd look on her face and we walked in silence for a long time. Finally she asked, "Do you want me to come?"

I stopped suddenly, looking at her in confusion. "Of course I want you to come. I couldn't have my wedding without you there." I looked down. "I know you don't like Forks, but this is really, really important to me. Please?"

She smiled. "Of course, I'll go! Do you think I'd miss my only daughter's wedding?"

I frowned. "But I thought you didn't want me to get married now."

"You're my daughter and I love you way too much to let something like that get in the way. Besides, I've known you long enough to tell that you usually know what you're doing. I guess I'll just have to trust you."

Despite her trepidation regarding my marriage, I think my mother really did approve of Edward, at least to some extent. They'd gotten along fairly well since we arrived – probably in part because of Edwards involvement in saving my life last spring. She also hadn't been nearly as upset as Charlie about the whole Italy incident, which was a relief because, as intimidating as my father could be, he didn't hold a candle to Renee.

The next day, Edward and I boarded a plane to return to Forks. It was a relief to be away from my mom because it was almost too much for me to bare, knowing that soon I would have to abandon her altogether. Edward wrapped his arms around me, and, knowing that nothing he could say would make it better, said nothing.

It didn't help my mood that Alice was waiting for me when me arrived with a report of what was going on with the wedding and my wedding dress for fittings.

"Hi, Bella! Now ,Edward, go away. We have stuff to do." Before I could say anything, she'd grabbed my arm in a firm grip and started towing me out.

"I can't just leave him there!" I protested.

"Yes you can. You'll have him all to yourself for as long as you want in three weeks. You can spare a few days."

I whimpered but Alice was completely relentless. The wedding was weeks away and things were definitely beginning to speed up.

I hadn't really wanted a big wedding – really, I would have been satisfied with a backyard wedding with a few friends. Of course, I wouldn't deny that I'd always had a fantasy about the 'perfect wedding' despite my mother's best attempts to drive the concept out of me, but Alice was the reason my wedding was so extravagant.

I was sure it would be wonderful but I was glad that Alice had taken control. I was stressed enough and all I had to worry about was showing up and writing the invitations. I had to admit, I'd be glad when the whole thing was finally over and I could be alone with Edward.

Alone with Edward. What an idea. Out of the public eye, all alone, no need to hide from anyone... he hadn't actually told me where he was taking me, but I trusted his judgment. We needed a break, from everything – to enjoy every last second of my vanishing humanity.

That thought definitely put a damper on my thoughts. I'd been so happy about marrying Edward – with the man I loved forever – that I could almost forget that becoming a vampire meant that I would never be able to see anyone I knew ever again. I'd have to lie, to find an excuse to drift away, to hurt them. I wished I could say that I just didn't want to hurt them, but I knew that it would be just as hard for me, and I was scared. It was easier that I didn't have a choice – or at least not much of one, since dying wasn't much better.

I had a year – only six and a half months, now. Every time I thought about it, I shivered. Edward told me it was more painful than anything he had ever experienced. Alice said the pain was the first thing she remembered. Rosalie said it did no good to scream – nothing could stop the change once it reached the heart.

But that wouldn't happen until spring. For now, though, I was human and pain free. I had a six and a half more months. And I would enjoy every last minute of them.


	3. Plans

The day of the wedding came all too soon.

I didn't sleep well the night before. I dreamed that I was trapped in pain of the change, and Edward kept telling me again and again that I'd done something wrong and it wouldn't stop. After that, I I couldn't sleep for more than twenty minutes at a time.

Eventually I gave up and went downstairs to make breakfast.

"Hey, Bells," Charlie said when he came down. "How do you feel."

"Nervous," I answered honestly. I set the plate of pancakes down on the table and sat across from Charlie, my arms wrapped around my stomach.

Charlie helped himself to the pancakes with a smile. "That's natural. But you don't have to worry – I'm sure you'll do fine. Mm... I'm gonna miss your cooking, Bells." He looked up and grinned sadly. Then he raised his eyebrows. "You not going to eat?"

I shook my head. "I'm not really hungry." The wedding was at noon. I had to leave in less than an hour to get ready and I was feeling queasy with nervousness.

"Bella, you should eat something. We wouldn't want you to feint in the middle of the service."

I shrugged and took a pancake.

I was still poking at it with my fork when Carlie sighed. "It's ten. You should probably head over there."

I nodded mutely and didn't look up .

"Bells," he got up and came over to me, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. "You'll do great."

I nodded again.

"I'll see you in a few hours."

"See you, dad," I said, smiling weakly. Then I stood and grabbed my coat and car keys, doing my best to stay calm.

Alice was waiting for me on the porch outside of her flower bedecked home.

"Bella! Did you sleep at all last night?" Alice asked anxiously when I arrived.

"Sure," I said. "I think I got six hours."

Alice sighed. "Bella, if you pass out from exhaustion in the middle of the service it will ruin all the plans I've been working on for months."

"I'll try to stay awake."

She grinned. "Don't worry. I'll throw my bouquet at you if you fall asleep."

"Thanks so much!"

"You're welcome! Now lets get you ready!" She grabbed by arm and dragged me up the stairs to her room. She sat me down in front of a massive vanity and began applying makeup.

A few minutes later, Rosalie appeared by her elbow and asked, "Can I help?"

I had to admit, I was surprised at her request. She had never liked me and she had become even colder to me after what happened in Italy. I still wasn't sure if that was because I knew her history, or because I was giving up my humanity. Whatever it was, I hadn't expected her to take an interest in my wedding.

"Of course!" I told her, trying to keep my surprise from my voice,

"Here," Alice explained pointing and pulling and lifting at my hair. "I want to twist it like this and the veil will sit on top of it here..." I didn't even notice when Rosalie's hands replaced hers.

It took much longer than I had expected to get ready. As soon as I was in my dress though, time seemed to pick up it's pace and everything took on an air of inevitability.

"Edward's here and the guests are beginning to arrive," Rosalie murmured to Alice.

I got the feeling she was trying not to stress me out. It didn't work, but I appreciated the effort, especially given the change in her attitude toward me.

"Edward had better stay out. Tell me when her parents arrive, though. I think Bella will want to talk to them before this thing starts."

"They're here."

"Why didn't you say so? Get them!"

Rosalie stiffened at the order. I suppose I should have known that her good mood couldn't last forever. She did relax, though, and disappeared out the door.

"Alice," I whispered, "I'm nervous."

"Don't be. You look great, and you don't have to do anything but repeat the minister."

"And not fall asleep."

"Yeah, that too." She smiled. "You'll be fine."

"Bells?"

I looked up at the new voice and saw my father peeking his head in the door. "Dad!" It did seem to be a day for surprises. It made sense that he'd dress up, but I'd never seen my father in a tux before. It was disconcerting.

I stood quickly and ran over to him, some how not managing to trip over the train of my simple satin dress.

"I'm here too," my mother said from behind him.

"Mom!"

Her arms were folded over her chest disapprovingly, but she was smiling. "I never thought I'd see you marry this early," she told me, "but you do look good. You look grown up."

I smiled back at her, blinking back tears.

"Please don't make her cry," Alice called. "I don't want to redo her makeup."

I laughed.

"We're both very proud of you, Bella," Charlie said. "We have something for you."

My mother handed me a small velvet box. I opened it curiously and gasped. Inside was a pair of intricately decorated combs, set with pearls.

"They belonged to you grandmother," Renee, told me.

"Thank you," I whispered, barely able to speak.

Alice came over and took the combs out of my hand, neatly folding them into the twists of my hair. "They look great."

"You really do look good," Renee said. "I'm proud of you. I hope..." she took a deep breath before continuing. "I hope he makes you happy."

"He will – he does." It was silent for a moment, everyone smiling.

"Come on," Charlie said, chuckling. "Let's leave her alone so she can get ready."

I got hugs from both of them before they returned to the main floor of the house. The ceremony was taking place in the large garden behind the house and I could see out Alice's bedroom window that it was slowly filling up with guests.

"How long until we start?" I asked Alice nervously.

"We're still waiting on a few guests but once they're here, we're ready to go - as long as you're ready."

I sighed. "I'm never going to be ready. Tell me as soon as everyone's here."

"Sure thing," Alice said, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly.

It only took about half an hour for the rest of the guests to arrive, and I was shaking by the time I met my father at the bottom of the stairs. The music started and I tensed nervously, praying that I wouldn't feint, or fall over, or something equally embarassing.

"You're about ten seconds after me," Alice said as she followed the other two bridesmaids, Angela and Jess, down the aisle.

I nodded and took a firm grip on Charlie's arm just in case before walking after her into the cool summer sun.

It had taken a lot of planning to find a day for the wedding. The truth was that there wasn't anywhere big enough to comfortably seat everyone inside, so we'd known all along that the wedding would have to be outdoors. Unfortunately, Edward and the rest of his family didn't do so well in the sun – something which is abundant in July. We'd been careful in picking the right day and planning dozens of excuses, just in case, but, luckily for me, the sky was perfectly overcast.

It did take away, somewhat from the drama of the moment, But I barely noticed the temperature. I was too busy trying to stay calm. Of course, it wasn't that I was unsure of my decision, it was just that I had never felt this level of commitment – not even when I'd gotten stuck in the middle of the vampires' squabbles. This was a huge step and a difficult one for me.

Still, I managed to make it to where Edward was standing without making a fool of myself. Once there, I took Edward's hand in mine and squeezed it as the minister began to speak. I didn't let go of his hand until it came to the exchanging of rings.

After what seemed like only seconds – really, it was more like half an hour or so – we were pronounced husband and wife. It seemed anticlimactic, really. All this stress and worry, all the pain before that, the betrayal, the reunions, and now we were just married after an exchange of words. I was surprised that I felt no different than I had earlier – insanely happy, yes, but somehow, I had expected the marriage vows to come with their own weight.

There was nothing – no weight, no burden – just Edward, all mine, forever.

Hand in hand we turned to face the smiling crowd.

My own smile became fixed as I noticed, for the first time, the empty seat at the front row of seats. I'd known it would be their, but seeing it reminded me of my guilt and it was hard to take. It was Jacob's seat. I'd made sure that no one else would sit there, even though I knew he wouldn't come, because it felt like as long as I left room for him in my heart, in my life, I could pretend that he might return. I didn't want to believe that he hated me, no matter how much I deserved it.

Throughout the past month, I'd kept hoping – expecting, even – that he would show up again, for the wedding at least. It was childish, I knew, but I couldn't helping wishing he'd be there. He was gone for good, though, it seemed, and I hadn't had a chance to visit any of the other wolves either. All of them – except for Seth – had treated me with cold, thinly concealed contempt.

Maybe it was simply that Seth didn't have room in his fifteen year old heart to hate me. I had plenty of room to hate me.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was soft enough that I was the only one who heard. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "It's just... I wish Jacob were here – not just to the wedding, but in Forks, with the pack. Maybe they'd stop hating me."

"You miss him. I understand. But he got hurt – you knew it would happen – and he needs to heal before he can think about coming back to the source of his pain. He needs time."

"I know." I said with a frown. "I'm just afraid by the time he's ready, it will be too late."

The ceremony flowed into the reception seamlessly, thanks to Alice's careful planning. Before I knew it, cake had been served and dancing had begun. I didn't really enjoy dancing but it seemed completely unavoidable. After the first dance with Edward, I'd tried to sit out, but person after person asked me onto the dance floor and the endless parade of people I'd have to leave behind was hard to take.

So, instead, I clung to Edward and danced with him until my feet ached from the ridiculous shoes that Alice had put me in. When I mentioned it to Edward, he took a quick look around and begun to spin towards the edge of the improvised dance floor. From there, he pulled me into the misty twilight beneath the trees.

As he pulled me onto a stone bench buried in the trees, he asked, "How are you holding up."

I took a deep breath. "I'm managing. It's hard, though, 'cause this could be the last time I see everyone."

"I know," he said, looking down. "You have no idea how much I hate myself for doing this to you."

"It's not -"

"Don't try to say it's not my fault. I got you into everything when I knew better. I'm sorry."

I smiled a little sadly. "I'm not. Do you want to know why?" When he didn't reply, I continued, "It's because I got you. I think that makes up for everything."

He looked up finally and my face was suddenly inches away from his. I couldn't resist. I leaned into him, kissing him firmly and tangling my hands in his soft bronze hair. I was gasping for air but I still didn't stop until I heard a soft throat clearing a few yards away.

I looked up, embarrassed, to see Alice, hands on hips, with an odd look on her face. "I should have known you two would sneak off," she said, smiling.

"You can see the future," I muttered. "You did know."

She shrugged, "Okay, so I knew. However, as much as I hate to break this up, the two of you need to get going."

"Going?"

"The honeymoon, remember, Bella?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Well we didn't really discuss it."

It was his turn to shrug. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"So you're not going to tell me where we're going?"

"No."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Where ever it is, I'm sure Bella doesn't want to go in her wedding dress, so if you think you can bear to be separated for a few minutes – ten, tops! - there's a dress for Bella in my room."

She was right. I did want to change, and as much as I didn't want to leave Edward right now, I knew I'd have him to myself for a week. Smiling I kissed him once more, lightly.

"Bella," Alice called, exasperation seeping into her tone.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I assured her, pushing myself to my feet and following her into the house.

As soon as I was upstairs Alice had me out of my gown and into a much more sedate number that was, most importantly, very comfortable.

"Don't worry," she told me before sending me back down stairs. "You're suitcase is packed and everything is ready. I didn't want you to have to worry."

"Why am I the last person to know all of this?"

"Because Edward and I thought it would make a nice surprise."

"Well, who put you guys in charge?"

"You did."

"No, I put you in charge. I didn't say Edward was."

"True, but you did marry him. Look, Bella, you know Edward. He likes surprising you and doing nice things for you. Get use to it."

"I've got to say, you don't seem sympathetic," I said, smiling faintly.

Alice put on a sad expression. "He's taking you on a surprise mystery trip where you'll be completely alone and intimate for a week! What were we thinking? We should call a lawyer, work out the divorce papers." She grinned. "Or you could stop whining because you didn't know about it and go meet your husband downstairs."

I shivered at the word 'husband'. It would definitely take a while to get used to. But I had a week. "Okay. I'll see you when I get back."

Alice gave me a quick enthusiastic hug and then pushed me gently towards the door. "Go on," she said, smiling. "Have fun."


End file.
